A social animal that always hunts singly such as the domestic cat is not a pack hunter.

Pack hunting is typically associated with cooperative breeding and its concentration in the Afrotropical Region is a reflection of this.[6] Most pack hunters are found in the southern African savannas, with a notable absence in tropical rainforests and with the exception of the wolf and coyote, higher latitudes.[6] It is thought that either on the ancient and poor soils of the southern African savanna it is not possible for individual predators to find adequate food,[7] or that the environment’s inherent unpredictability due to ENSO or IOD events means that in very bad conditions it will not be possible to raise the young necessary to prevent declining populations from adult mortality. It is also argued that Africa’s very large area of continuous flat and open country, which was even more extensive while rainforest contracted during glacial periods of the Quaternary, may have helped encourage pack hunting to become much more common than on any other continent.[8]

A shared pack hunting history is thought to be the main conduit through which humans have been able to form a mutual relationship with dogs (that is, domestication), as both species are highly social and inter-dependent. Humans easily take over the dominance hierarchy of dogs as subordinates instinctively follow the “alpha” individual and dogs are accustomed to living very close together[9]

When wolves hunt a Moose or Elk, it sometimes takes to deep water to avoid the pack. A wolf response to this behavior is that the pack rests with one or two wolves annoying the prey until it gets fatigued.[10] The organization of wolf packs includes Alpha wolves which eat first from a kill and which produce most wolf pups.[10][11]